Box Score (LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 14)—The McKendree University women's volleyball team, the No. 3 seed from the East Division, continued its roll at the 2014 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Championship with a three-set, semifinal-round sweep of the East's top seed, the University of Indianapolis, on Friday afternoon. The Bearcats won by scores of 25-21, 25-15 and 25-20. 
 
Making its first appearance at the GLVC Tournament, the Bearcats have won six of seven matches played at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill., to put themselves into Saturday's championship match. McKendree will take on either Truman State University or Missouri S & T for the GLVC Tournament title Saturday at noon. A win by the Bearcats would give McKendree its first-ever GLVC championship in any sport.
 
McKendree is now 20-12 overall on the year, marking the Bearcats' first 20-win season as an NCAA Division II member. The last time McKendree topped 20 wins in a season was back in 2010, when the squad posted a 27-12 mark.
 
"Our team was super-loose today," said McKendree volleyball coach Nickie Sanlin following the match. "They certainly played like it. We were facing a very tough Indianapolis team yet we were able to control the tempo and dictate the pace of play. I am just so happy for all our players right now. Each individual performance has helped fill a piece of the puzzle and is bringing us together for this run at the right time of the year. We're looking forward to tomorrow's match."
 
Sophomore middle hitter Sophie Fairman (Staunton, IL/Staunton) had a near-flawless hitting performance while leading McKendree in the victory with 14 kills. Fairman led all players with a .778 hitting percentage, connecting for 14 kills on 18 total attacks. Senior outside hitter Kelsey Johnson (Aviston, IL/Breese Central) also helped fuel the sweep with 121 kills and a .417 attack percentage.
 
Sophomore setters Aubry Dickmann (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) and Breanna Howe (Mt. Pulaski, IL/Mt. Pulaski) handed out a combined 39 assists, with Dickmann leading the way with 20 and Howe adding 19 sets. Senior defensive specialist Abby Hanger (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) handled a team-leading 16 digs for the Bearcats.
 
This marks the second victory for McKendree over Indianapolis this season. The Bearcats needed five sets back on Oct. 3 in Indianapolis to rally for a 3-2 win over the Greyhounds.
 
In the first set, McKendree broke open a close contest early thanks to a 5-2 run to grab a 9-6 lead. The Bearcats never trailed the remainder of the set, stretching the margin to as many as six points in taking an early lead in the match. Fairman led the charge offensively, putting down six kills in the opening set. As a team, McKendree put up a .419 hitting percentage in grabbing the first-set win.
 
The momentum from the first set spilled over into the second set, when McKendree reeled off the first five points to build an early advantage. After Indianapolis pulled with 7-4, the Bearcats responded by scoring four of the next five points to stretch its margin to 11-5. McKendree continued to control the tempo of the set, which was punctuated by a kill from Dickmann as the Bearcats went into the intermission with a two-set lead in the match. Johnson collected four kills in the set for McKendree.
 
After the 10-minute break in play, Indianapolis (19-10) raced to a 5-1 lead in set three. McKendree regrouped and began to chip away at the deficit and pulled within 9-7 following a service ace by Hanger. The Greyhounds battled back and stretched its lead back to 14-9 when McKendree took control once again. The Bearcats ripped off eight of the next nine points – fueled by two kills each from Fairman and freshman outside hitter Arela Williams (San Diego, CA/LaJolla Country Day) – to take its first lead of the set at 17-15.
 
Indianapolis evened the score moments later and took its final lead of the contest at 20-19. From there, McKendree closed the match with a run that equaled the finish of its GLVC Tournament quarterfinal match against Rockhurst University a day earlier. The Bearcats scored the final six points of the match for the second straight day to finish off the sweep and earn their first-ever berth to the conference tournament championship match. Kills by Johnson and junior right-side hitter Lauren Apetz (Glenwood, FL/DeLand) accounted for the final two points against the Greyhounds.
 
Hailey Brown led Indianapolis with 10 kills, while Meghan Binkerd handed out a match-high 29 assists. Arielle Knafel helped out with 17 digs in the effort for the Greyhounds.